let's give 'em somethin' to talk about

people are talkin', talkin' 'bout people

Of course, at least one person got the idea to start taking a video when they saw the champion herself tearing through the airport like a madwoman, and of course, they kept filming right through to the end of it all. And, of course, they knew the potential a video like that had, so of course, they sold it to a news station and soon enough, every major news outlet in the region had picked up on it.

Gloria doesn't find out about this at first, though. At first, she just focuses on getting home, and waiting for Hop to hopefully call her. She looks up his flight number so she can keep refreshing and see if he's landed, even though she knows it will be a long time before that happens. Other than that, she just waits, stressing about her confession, about what he could possibly say, about what this will change, and about the fact that she won't be able to see him in person for a very long time.

When her phone rings, she jumps. It couldn't possibly be Hop, could it? He isn't supposed to have his phone on right now, and she knows that he hasn't landed yet, but she still grabs her phone with shaking hands, only to sigh in disappointment when she sees that it's Leon. Not the brother she was hoping for, so she answers a little dejectedly, with, "What do you want?"

"That's no way to answer the phone!" Leon scolds her in a teasing voice. "Especially when you're talking to your future brother!"

At that, Gloria tenses. Did Hop somehow tell him before his flight took off, rather than taking the time to respond to her? That could be a really bad sign, and she slowly asks, "What do you mean by that?"

"So. Hop, huh? My little brother? I mean, I can't say I didn't see this coming since day one, but that sure was something!"

"Leon, please, just tell me directly," she says. She's worried about where he got his information from and irritated to be on the phone at all, when she's waiting for someone else to call. Never mind the fact that it will be a few hours yet before Hop can actually call her.

"Everyone's seen it by now, Gloria, that's what happens when you do stuff like that in public. I mean, I get alerts whenever there's a story about either of you since I'm such a big fan and all, but this one is big. I'm pretty sure everyone in Galar has seen it by now," he says. "I wonder if the story's broken anywhere else? Iris will tease Hop like mad when he gets there, I bet!"

"What story? You don't mean..." Her eyes go wide, and she hears Leon take in a sharp breath on the other end of the line.

"Oh, so you haven't seen it yet? Well, to put it simply, someone got a recording of your grand confession and it's a slow news day, so..." He doesn't have to finish the sentence; now, Gloria knows exactly where he found out about her confession. Leon, along with the rest of the region, got to watch the replay.

Groaning, she says, "Well, that's just great."

"Hey, come on, it could be a lot worse! In terms of Pokemon league scandals, we both know there have been a lot worse than a wholesome love confession." He snickers, and she thinks that if he were there, she might punch him. "So, as I was saying. Hop? You love my baby brother? Little Hop? I knew it, yeah, but now that-"

She hangs up on him without another word. He's just doing this to be irritating, and ordinarily, she would get a laugh out of his antics, but she finds that his antics are a lot less amusing when they center around something so important to her. But again she has to wonder how dense she was, if even someone like Leon could tell that she had feelings for Hop, long before she did.

Though she can't bring herself to watch the video of her cliche confession, she does check out some of the articles, her stomach in knots as she reads the hastily written stories about her sudden confession, and the apparent rumors that have surrounded her and Hop since they were children. Through the comments, she discovers some very vocal supporters, who have apparently wanted them to get together since their gym challenge days, and even a jealous few who would rather the champion take notice of them. There are even a few that make her jealous, talking about how they've always thought Hop was cute, and that he could do better.

It's hard to turn away even though she knows that this isn't making the situation, but then her phone rings, Leon's contact photo covering the screen while she's in the middle of reading. She considers letting it go to voicemail, tired of dealing with him, but then she thinks that he might be calling to apologize to her, so she decides to give him a chance and answer.

"Hello?"

"Hop!" he replies in a high-pitched voice that she knows is supposed to be an imitation of her. "Hop, wait! I'm in love with you!"

Gloria immediately hangs up on him again.

~X~

Unfortunately for her, Leon is not the only one who decides to call her and get the story directly from her. Her mother is soon after, teasing and pestering her about it, saying that she always knew there was something between them, and Gloria is only able to get her off the phone when another call comes through, promising to talk to her later, after she hears from Hop. The next call is from Marnie, who simply congratulates her on addressing her feelings, but doesn't bug her much outside of also wanting to hear the eventual outcome.

Gloria is glad to get off the phone with her and keep waiting it out, but then Bede of all people calls her, and when she admits that it was his remark about Hop finding someone else in Unova that encouraged her, he laughs.

"You honestly took that seriously?" he asks. "I don't think Hop's capable of looking at anyone other than you."

Gloria isn't sure what to say to any of that, from the fact that her panic was based on something Bede didn't mean at all to the fact that he also believes her feelings are fully requited. In the end, she just puts a stop to the conversation there, which he doesn't seem to mind, and that gives her just a few more minutes to herself before Sonia calls her.

"You really pushed it to the last second, didn't you?" she says, before Gloria can even finish her greeting. "I mean, I'm definitely proud of you for getting it out there, but at the airport? You couldn't have had a nice, private date to tell him how you feel?"

"I tried!" she protests. "We did a lot of stuff alone together, and I just...I didn't do it, and so I had to..."

Sighing, Sonia says, "At least you did it, I guess. Still, you didn't have to make regional headlines like that. It's a good thing Hop is so popular, even after all these years, because at least most people are supportive of you two going out."

"We aren't going out, I just..."

"Wait, he hasn't said anything back yet?!" She can imagine the look of surprise on Sonia's face.

"He had to get on the plane! I'm waiting for him to land so he can call me, and then I guess we'll talk things out," she explains.

"Then what are you doing talking to me? I want all the details as soon as you have them, but I'm not hogging your line anymore!" With that, Sonia abruptly hangs up, and Gloria isn't mad that she doesn't say goodbye. Rather, she's just glad that someone understands the importance of the situation.

Even if she still has a couple hours to wait for Hop.